


Felurian Origins

by Superbinky



Category: Action - Fandom, Adventure - Fandom, Fantasy - Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-20
Updated: 2015-05-20
Packaged: 2018-03-31 01:49:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3959890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Superbinky/pseuds/Superbinky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Owing to his unadulterated genes as a first-generation felurian (a human-cat hybrid), Nefarri possesses extremely potent innate abilities and makes a living as a freelancer. When things turn awry during a hunting expedition, he becomes inadvertently bound to a new companion and embarks on a journey of self-discovery.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Felurian Origins

“Hold on a second there, miss, let’s not be rash.” Nefarri cautioned the belligerent female, taking several steps back to maintain a safe distance. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Her reckless advance came to a halt. She stared into his eyes with contempt without uttering a single word. The malicious aura that extruded from her made him feel extremely uneasy.

Nefarri deliberated possible ways to diffuse the misunderstanding between them, though his current circumstances left little room for misinterpretation. He felt certain that any attempts at denying his intentions would only further provoke her.

“Seems like I should’ve waited longer for someone to return,” he said at last to break the silence, “but Mother Nature was getting impatient with me.”

“You can drop the act,” she told him, “I know what you’re trying to do.”

“Well then, I don’t suppose an apology would suffice at this point,” he replied. “Like I said, I would prefer if no one got hurt, so if you calm down, I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

“I am calm,” she snapped at him. “I’m going to ask you again – why do you have that?”

“You mean this dagger? Right. Let’s just say… he won’t be needing it anymore.”

The scowl on her face immediately vanished. She broke eye contact as she sifted through his words.

She didn’t speak. The idea had already taken root in her mind. 

His keen ears picked up on the irregularities in her breathing.

“Galvon never mentioned anything about a daughter, though it seems obvious to me now,” he remarked.

“Can you stop that?” she requested in a barely audible voice.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Stop being so cryptic with your words!” she reprimanded in exasperation at full volume, “and speaking as if I’m not here! Can’t you tell I’m much too dense for that?!”

She threw her weapon into the ground and yelled as loud as she could.

The storm clouds answered her cry with a bolt of lightning that split the sky. Cracks of thunder rolled across the night sky and reverberated throughout the city landscape.

She could no longer hold back. Tears started to trickle down her face, mixing with the sparse raindrops that had begun to fall. 

Witnessing her grief-stricken reaction, Nefarri promptly put away his daggers. 

“Sorry. I will do my best to comply.”

He felt that the apology sounded half-baked and insincere, but there wasn’t much else to say.

She wiped the tears off her face with her hands and sniffed forcefully. The catharsis had taken its course.

“State your business here, felurian.”

She had yet to wrest back full control of her voice, but her words were stern and unyielding.

Nefarri stepped forward and presented Galvon’s dagger to her.

“To tell you the truth, I’m not entirely sure of that myself. The numbers etched on that dagger point to this location,” he explained. “Galvon gave it to me just before he passed away, in which case I can only assume I was meant to come here.”

The young girl snatched the dagger from his hands and backed away.

“He gave it to you? Tell me what happened.”

Her morose demeanor seemed to have subsided with the mention of the outlaw’s name.

“I want a straight answer this time,” she specified.

“I fear there’s little to be said. Some days, things just don’t go according to plan,” he told her, opting to exercise brevity rather than giving a detailed account of the incident. “A cerotid got him; I was his partner on the job.”

She tried her best to maintain a solemn expression, but it did little to conceal the emotions swelling up inside of her. The mental picture inferred from his words was unbearable.

“I’m not going to say anything foolish and pretend like I know what you’re going through, but you have my condolences,” Nefarri said to her.

She didn’t answer. It took no small effort to repress the urge to let herself go again. 

For a long while, neither of them moved nor spoke.

She looked up and closed her eyes to collect her thoughts, as if her defiant emotions were washing away with the pitter-patter of raindrops against her face.

“You’re right,” she said at last in a calm voice, “I’m not in such an emotional wreck that I would resort to seeking comfort from a complete stranger.”

“Good, then I won’t feel bad for not trying,” he replied. “Listen. I know this is terribly selfish of me, but there is actually some business I would like to discuss with you – if you’re willing, of course. Would it be better if we reconvened at a later date?”

“That won’t be necessary,” she told him. “I can manage.”

“If you say so.”

“I’m Lilith, by the way,” she introduced herself.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Lilith. I’m Nefarri,” he answered back, “… sorry about the attempted break-in.”

“Let’s just sweep that under the rug for the time being,” she suggested amiably as she shook his hand.

“Hm. Come to think of it, your father didn’t bother with introductions either till after he tried to beat me to a pulp,” he mentioned. “It was his idea of a job interview.”

“He tends to have very twisted ideas when it comes to things like that. I hope it wasn’t too bad.”

“I passed, didn’t I?” he reminded her.

“So tell me, Lilith. What’s a young girl like you doing out in the city this late at night all by yourself?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your concern,” she replied.

“No, I don’t suppose it is.”

He decided it would be best to rescind his question.

On the other hand, Lilith felt that her response may have been misconstrued, and she didn’t want Nefarri to get the wrong idea.

“... I was consulting one of my father’s colleagues regarding his whereabouts,” she blurted out. “I hadn’t heard anything from him so I was beginning to get worried. I had a feeling that something terrible had happened. I suppose that, in a way, I’m kind of glad that you’re here to confirm my suspicions.”

“Can you tell me more about the job?” she asked him.

“There’s not much to tell,” he replied. “I suppose most would qualify it as a regular hunting expedition – the contract specified the live capture of a cerotid mother who had given birth a mutated calf. I wish I could tell you more, but we were only provided enough information to fulfill our –”

“We as in you and my father?” she interrupted.

“Sorry, I should clarify,” Nefarri explained. “Galvon sought help from an information broker in Bel’dun who was in charge of handling the logistics of the mission. This broker was the intermediary who recommended me to Galvon. At any rate, the broker did not receive any compensation up front for his involvement in the expedition – ”

“So you’re here for to collect the bounty on his behalf,” Lilith broke in, bringing him to his point.

“Well, I have a hand in the stakes as well,” he admitted, knowing that any attempt to embellish his motives would have been futile.

“I figured as much. I was trying not to make you sound petty.”

“I appreciate the effort, but that won’t be necessary,” he replied, “At any rate, I’m afraid Galvon has left us completely in the dark regarding the identity of the client who issued the expedition.”

“Hm,” she murmured to herself quietly, giving herself a moment to digest the information.

“Your story thus far seems to add up – what was the payout for the expedition?” she asked.

“He didn’t say, although he did promise us two thousand after all was said and done. I can only imagine there is a good amount he set aside for himself.”

Lilith raised her eyebrows in shock.

“Two thousand?” she questioned. “Who are you guys?”

“No one in particular, I assure you,” Nefarri replied modestly.

"Correct me if I’m wrong, but two thousand seems a tad bit steep for a hunt,” she remarked.

“The fee wasn’t negotiable; it was entirely Galvon’s decision.”

“I see.”

She thought to herself for a moment, then spoke up again.

“Clearly, there’s more to the mission than what he was letting on.”

“My thoughts exactly,” said Nefarri in agreement. “I was hoping to find something behind this door that would allow us to make further progress – before you stopped me, that is.”

She began to pace back and forth in contemplation.

“Tell you what, Nefarri, I will agree to help you out under one condition,” she proposed after careful deliberation. “You and Schneider will receive the two grand as was promised; I will honor my father’s agreement. However… the rest of the bounty will go to me.”

“I don’t suppose those terms are negotiable.”

“That’s my offer,” she asserted, “take it or leave it.”

“Well, it’s not as much as I had hoped for, but it’s certainly better than nothing,” he reasoned. “Deal.”

In truth, Nefarri cared little for his share of the reward, for he had stumbled upon a profound revelation over the course of their conversation. The dagger was not bequeathed to him as a means to reap the rewards of the expedition. Rather, it was a token of Galvon’s gratitude and commendation for risking his life to help a comrade in need when he could have opted to stay hidden in safety; it was an emblem of approval issued by the outlaw, who, in his last moments, had delegated a tremendous responsibility to Nefarri.

“Great,” Lilith answered, “I will search through the house and look for any clues he may have left behind. You can stop by tomorrow if you’re free. I’ll let you know if anything turns up.”

“Sounds like a plan, although… there was one minor concern.”

There was still something he wanted to bring to her attention.

“What’s that?”

“When I claimed the dagger had been entrusted to me, you accepted it without question,” he elaborated, “but it is certainly not outside the realm of possibility that the weapon was taken from him against his wishes. Aren’t you being a bit too trusting?”

She looked at him with a puzzled look on her face.

“True, but for someone to take the dagger by force without knowing the hidden contents beforehand seemed illogical,” she explained. “My father trusted you, and I trust in his judgment. Besides, you accepted my offer, didn’t you?”

“I see. I guess, tomorrow then,” he said to her.

“Sounds good. Your lock pick won’t be needed this time,” she reminded him.

“As you wish. The pin configurations to the locks are on the door frame. Don’t forget to remove them. See you.”

Feeling satisfied with her response, Nefarri turned towards the entrance of the alleyway and ran off in a hurry. The rain had begun to pour down over the city with a ferocious roar.

He stopped to look back at Lilith one last time just as she was about to fall out of his line of sight. Against the backdrop of the Therisian-slums, he saw her silhouette slump to the ground onto her hands and knees amid the downpour.

Nefarri knew there was no reprieve for her loss. Retreating into the cover of a nearby porch, the drenched felurian waited patiently for the storm to pass. He had previously thought that the guilt responsible for his insomnia couldn’t get any worse. It was going to be another sleepless night.


End file.
